The Purpose of Storm Windows

In theory, storm windows are supposed to protect "real" windows from stormy weather, to muffle outside noises, and to provide insulation to keep warm air in and cold air out. Theory does not equal practice. We had a big storm last night, and the storm windows created more noise than they prevented by clanging against their metal tracks as they were buffeted by the wind and rain. That clanging kept all of us (even the cat) awake for most of the night.

The "storm" continues in the apartment today after 469 pounds of clothes, housewares, toiletries, and furnishings from Germany were delivered. I was very happy to see some of my sweaters and most grateful to see my tea, but not so pleased with rearranging the apartment yet again. I feel like a magician, or a physicist, trying to create empty space where none exists (thanks to subletting from a landlord who didn't expect to sublet and therefore left all of her belongings including her John Deer collection here). So, after three furious hours of unpacking, repacking, and checking to make sure that the cat didn't fall into one of the paper filled boxes, I still have a mess...perhaps organized chaos is a more appropriate term. I have piles for donation and storage of my clothes. I realized that I can live much more simply with fewer clothes. I have piles for recycling and trash (which thankfully is picked up tomorrow), and piles for hubby to go through to determine into which of the aforementioned piles his belongings will go. And yes, I did leave him half of the space in the closet and half of the shelf above.

Our appraisal for the house we are still trying to buy came in lower, much lower, than expected, forcing us to come up with more money for closing, which is supposed to be tomorrow. So, we did the money shuffle last night and we should be okay. HOWEVER, our realtor found out that the appraiser didn't count 1 of our bedrooms and 1 of our bathrooms in the appraisal, and she didn't use the comps that were relevent (e.g., the rowhome next door that sold four months ago). Ugh! Our realtor is conversing with the appraisal company, trying to get the appraisal corrected. Thank you, dear realtor, for being our storm window and protecting us from the elements. Our bedroom storm windows could learn from you!